I’ve been here for one week and about ten hours. So far so good. In fact, I can’t imagine a more seamless transition of a week. I’m sure it would have been very difficult if I hadn’t found a great group of people to explore the city and enjoy the beaches with, but luckily I have. I spend most of my time here with three other teachers: one gentleman from England (Steve), a lovely lady from New Zealand (Joyce), and another American, Nancy, from Oregon. Everyone but me in the group is married, and two of the four of us have children. It’s been interesting being the only single, but I definitely haven’t had to go through the difficulties of being separated from my spouse (and children) until all of the Visas get sorted out. With good company, it’s really nice and relaxing here. I came without expectations, and I think it was necessary in order to fully enjoy everything around me. I’ve learned that some of the other teachers seem to struggle with the differences so far away from family, friends, and familiarity. But, once you accept that you know nothing you can move on and have some fun. Fortunately, the UAE is so far away in such a vastly estranged land that I’m not sure I ever thought I knew anything about it. And that’s been accurate. There is something beautiful and simple about being a foreigner in the UAE.
The greatest differences have been in food and climate; both of which have impacted my developing daily routine. Normally, I wake up a little after 9, head down to the hotel’s main restaurant to meet with my group of friends and eat at the free breakfast buffet. For me, this usually consists of a few makeshift sandwiches with mini pitas, spreadable cheese (it’s tangy, yet mild, and creamy; don’t recall the name of it), and whichever cold cuts or specialized meat they have to offer. Today it was pastrami, yesterday lamb steak. Then I go back to pile up yogurt with golden raisins and fresh fruit. I usually drink pineapple juice, Perrier, coffee, and finish up with a cup of the best tea I’ve every had. It’s an Royal Breakfast tea - Ronnefeldt brand - and I would highly recommend it with one spoon of honey if you can find it in the US. After eating, we split up for an hour or so, and congregate again by the pool or the hotel’s private beach on the coast of the Arabian Sea. We only just discovered the private beach two days ago.
The first time I got into the sea I lazily paddled out about 50 yards with Steve before plunging my head under. The water was as warm as a bath, but still cool compared to the air temperature. I was only under for a few seconds, and as soon as I surfaced my eyes stung. Once I finished wiping my face, I noticed the strong taste of salt in my mouth. My initial thought was this can’t be good for my skin. I relaxed, took a deep breath, and the most eerie, surreal thing happened: my feet swept up from under me to the surface of the sea. The water has such a high salt content that its easy to float without effort. I imagine I felt like anyone swimming in the Dead Sea for the first time. It was like being a little kid going swimming after never having been in water before: I’d never known water to feel the way it did. There was a palpable difference, the water was sort of silky and smooth. I spent some time raising my hands and fingers in and out of the water just because it felt oddly therapeutic and relaxing. The longer I was in there the more I worried what the salt would do to my skin, but apparently the Arabian Sea is one of the places where bath salts are extracted from; and sure enough, for the rest of that night and the next morning I could feel a difference in the softness of my skin. All in all I stayed in the water for about two incredible, lazy hours that first time. One word on the heat of the sun: I’ve been wearing my SPF 70, and reapplying a few times when I’m by the water, but even so I go in just about every night looking like an inverted raccoon from my sunglasses. The heat is so extreme that it actually melts the plastic on my sunglasses! Granted, they are cheap ones from Walgreens.
After I get back from swimming I shower up and go back out with the group. We’ve went to three Lebanese restaurants, a few hotels (aka bars), and one Indian restaurant. Always long nights here. The Indian food was some of the best food I’ve had in my life – except my moms Thanksgiving cooking, of course. They served great portions with tons of layered flavor. Chefs must really marinade the meat for days on end to achieve this ridiculous culinary success. I’m thinking we will probably order from the same Indian restaurant tonight rather than going out. Everyone is feeling a night in, and we were able to go to an off license alcohol shop for reasonable pricing so we are well stocked on tasty English beer. One idea was starting a three night Lord of the Rings marathon to save money rather than going out. The Indian food fits in well with that, as you can get more than you can eat for under 5 USD.
With all this freedom the hardest part has been getting into a routine. I thought I’d be able to trick my brain into a quick sleep pattern switch with a couple of sleeping pills and difficultly staying awake when my body says otherwise. Instead I ranged 2-4 hours of sleep the first three days, laying in bed twitching and frustratingly wishing the sun would come up. One night I broke. I got up, switched on my computer and stalked anyone and everyone I could on Facebook (I was glad to see everyone seems to be doing well). I thought I’d just make up my sleep the next night, but Abu Dhabi is a strange place full of unexpected turns. My friends and I decided to go out for some Lebanese food (quickly becoming a front-runner for favorite type) at 7, and I ended up staying out until about 2am. When I did fall asleep, my body woke me up before 7. The past few nights have been much better. I’m averaging closer to seven hours now - and I always feel refreshed during the day – but still, there is no rhyme or reason to night time activities here.
And these are the activities that fill my days. Businesswise I’ve had three orientations since my last post: once one morning to undergo health tests and draw blood at an ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) hospital, once midday to open a banking account, and once at midnight for a police check. The police check was at midnight because of Ramadan. Ramadan is a holy month when Muslims fast from 5am-7pm (times vary depending on the city) to put themselves in the shoes of those who cannot afford food. It’s a brilliant idea, and as a result the city doesn’t really open until after daily fasting. Even the police station would not take anyone for criminal checks until midnight. I’m now told the real orientations don’t start until next Tuesday. I’m a bit nervous about what I will learn of my school and my follow expatriate that is supposed to be in the same school as me. I can’t do anything about it though, so I will just relax, and revisit the beach every day until I have to settle in and actually earn my money.
I know I should be jotting everything down as it seems novel, but I have been lazy with updates. I will try to write a bit more these next few weeks and include some pictures, maybe even a video. I hope everything is going well for everyone back home, and I’ve appreciated the emails updating me on your lives. Keep them coming! Reminder, I still need some help coming up with a blog title! I’ve had three ideas: The Camel Whisperer, Fula-Hoop, and support for Unknown Title because it is so indicative of my experiences thus far. Lets get a few more ideas, then we can have a vote.
